Commenting on the news of Dart Energy's effort to raise £12 million [1], Friends of the Earth Scotland Campaigns Co-ordinator Mary Church said:

"This looks like a last desperate attempt by Dart to convince investors to salvage its highly uncertain and controversial coalbed methane plans.

"The company's portfolio has been shrinking ever since Dart was kicked out of Australia and had to slash its global workforce by 70% earlier this year. It's clear that Dart's hopes of generating income are now pinned on the Airth coalbed methane scheme, but the project faces strong local opposition and a lengthy public inquiry process.

"In today's announcement Dart carefully fail to mention that HSBC have frozen its loan facility due to delays with the Airth project, and that new Scottish Government planning proposals could make its operations unviable. Dart also fail to recognise the major risk to its gas plans presented by the strength of community opposition at Airth, and throughout the UK as demonstrated at Balcombe.

"Potential investors should beware and think twice before throwing good money after bad money on Dart. Unconventional gas is unsafe, unnecessary and unwanted, and Dart has a Sisyphean task ahead of it to convince communities otherwise."

Trading in Dart Energy securities was halted last week, shortly after HSBC froze its substantial loan facility to Dart Energy because of delays with the Airth coalbed methane project.[2]

6. Australian company Dart Energy is the leading unconventional gas developer in Scotland. Dart’s flagship development at Airth, near Falkirk faces strong community opposition and has been beset by delays. In June 2013 Dart appealed their application for 22 new wells, a gas and water treatment facility and a network of pipelines to the Scottish Government on grounds of non-determination. A Public Inquiry process is expected to start from the second half of October 2013.

Switzerland: A moratorium on fracking was introduced in the canton of Fribourg

Germany: Moratorium in Northrhine-Westphalia on fracking. Lower Saxony likely to do the same.

Bulgaria: Government banned fracking

Czech Republic: A moratorium on fracking, considering outright ban

Spain: Cantabria banned fracking, La Rioja is also currently considering same

Denmark: Moratorium on fracking

Quebec: A moratorium on fracking

United States: Vermont banned fracking, and New York has moratorium

New South Wales: ban on any coal bed methane activity within 2km of residential areas, and within critical industry clusters such as winegrowing areas

Ireland: 2-year moratorium on fracking

13. Friends of the Earth Scotland is * Scotland's leading environmental campaigning organisation * An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland * Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 77 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist groups - covering every continent.www.foe-scotland.org.uk